Nancy Pytak patrols thousands of acres of coal lands owned by Pagnotti Enterprises as part of the company's security force searching for illegal dumpers, trespassers, thieves and potential problems, such as subsidence or open boreholes.

On Saturday, the 23-year company veteran searched for people riding all-terrain vehicles, or quads, on the company's property around Eckley and Highland after Foster Township residents voiced complaints at a supervisors' meeting last month.

Supervisors Mike Spock and Georgiann Eckrote-Jones understand the problem, as they see it in their own neighborhoods. It forces residents to close windows due to the noise and dust, or barricade their properties to prevent trespassers.

"It's a hell of a problem," Spock said. "The problem is throughout the township. There are so many people riding ATVs, quads and dirt bikes. They're on public roads ... and you see eight, 10 or 12 at a time."

Spock said he has stopped riders multiple times on his own property along Fern Street - one claimed to have permission from the owner.

"Call the guy right now," Spock remembers telling the rider, before someone informed the man that he was speaking to the owner.

He pointed to an area in Youngstown, where an owner blocked a well-worn trail into his property only to have the riders cut a new trail. Just across state Route 940, out-of-town riders parked trailers along Scotch Hill Road, said Spock, who noted parking along a street isn't illegal.

Jim Weber, who serves as the township code enforcement and zoning officer, explained there's not much he can do to curb the activity, either.

"They're not allowed on public roads, but the only thing we can do is call 911 and dispatch state police," he said. "I can't enforce the vehicle code. Only a uniformed police officer can enforce traffic laws. The township doesn't want a police force."

Spock explained the township can't afford its own police force, as residents' taxes would double or triple. A regional police force with a few other townships, though, might be a possibility, he said.

In an effort to help, Pagnotti Enterprises stepped up its enforcement, adding more no-trespassing signs to warn people off the property and blocking trails used by riders, said Dan Yanichick, another member of the security force.

But it's a never-ending battle, he said. Riders steer around the roadblocks, carving a new trail into soft dirt, or they remove the obstacles, Yanichick said.

The company already started blocking off trails in the Highland area, where a borehole opened - which would put riders at risk if they struck it full speed, Yanichick said Thursday. Employees strung yellow caution tape around the area to keep riders away, he said.

Roads around Eckley will be blocked in the next week or so, Yanichick said. Riders cut steep paths up overburden piles and down embankments near the historic Eckley cemetery, which will only be accessible through the village, he said.

Yanichick fears someone will get hurt while trespassing, putting the company at risk. The company also plans to meet with a Foster Township business, the Sandy Valley Campground, which allows riders to park their trailers on the grounds for a fee.

The business allows people to bring their ATVs onto the property for a $20-per-vehicle fee, but riding isn't allowed on the grounds, the camp website says.

Marge Maumowicz, the owner, explained that they have people who camp for the day who bring quads, but they must follow a list of rules to minimize the impact on other campers and the campground's neighbors.

"They do it properly and they know the rules," she explained.

They must rev down their engines and go slow when leaving the campground, they're not allowed to run behind the campground where the land has been reclaimed, and they must stop if flagged by police or security and show their license and insurance papers, Maumowicz said.

The campground banned a few groups of people who didn't follow the rules, but most people abide, she said, and the day-campers have helped the business in a tough economy.

"They go out of the campground and up the mountain," she said. "The majority are no problem."

The dirt road up the mountainside is a township access road from Sandy Valley to Eckley, where it ends in a T-intersection with Buck Mountain Road, another public road. All of the land along the road is privately held and the majority is owned by Pagnotti.

At one time, the coal company issued nearly 1,500 permits to people, allowing them access to the vast property for recreation purposes such as hunting, bike riding, hiking or foraging for berries or mushrooms, Yanichick said.

"It got so out of control," he said, explaining that people began abusing the land and later forging access permits until the company was forced to reduce the number issued to a few hundred.

But motor vehicles, including quads, were never allowed, Yanichick said.

The quads keep coming, though - even with the roadblocks and obstacles put in place in recent days.

Pytak, while on patrol on Saturday morning, found large rocks moved from across one trail and areas where people felled trees to make a new trail. Even the yellow tape meant to protect illegal riders from an open borehole was knocked down.

She expected to see numerous riders late in the morning, but only encountered one on an unused haul road between Eckley and Highland.

Pytak didn't give chase, though. She explained that security isn't allowed to pursue the riders due to the liability.

But security does flag riders and stop those they encounter, explaining that they're on private property, Pytak said. Often, though, it's a game of cat and mouse, as riders take off before she approaches them, she said.

Pytak once issued warnings, but now hands out tickets, which carry fines up to $300.

"Normally, I don't see them come back when I stop them," she said.

kmonitz@standardspeaker.com

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